Ice makers
In the summer of 1809 the poet Byron and his friends visited Venice and ate ice cream in the cafes. How was the ice cream made when there were no refrigerators?
• Ice can be conserved for a long time if kept well insulated in large volumes. If you visit the famous ruins of Pompeii, you will see the remains of ice-cream stands: the inhabitants brought ice down from the slopes of Vesuvius, and presumably kept it in cellars. Venice is less than 100 kilometres from the Dolomite mountains, so even in 1809 it must have been quite…
